VER Gives Makeover to Super Bowl Announce Booth

VER is having a very busy Super Bowl XLV weekend, giving the Fox Sports broadcast booth a new look, courtesy of a 432×960 LED screen based on Barco NX4 4mm pixel technology, and also playing an important part in the Super Bowl trophy presentation after the game.

Fox Sports approached VER looking for a physical LED display that would move the look of the booth beyond green-screen systems that create a flat graphic look and, more important, don’t convey a sense of space and dimension. So VER LED Engineer Steve Otten and Director of Broadcast Howie Rosenthal began working with Fox prior to the Cotton Bowl in January (also held in Cowboys Stadium) on the LED board.

“A green-screen system gives a fake studio look that you don’t want,” says Rosenthal. “Seeing the LED board shows lets viewers see that you are there, and having moving video sells it.”

The LED display was modified from the Cotton Bowl version to have more of a curve, a change that was possible because the Barco wall is built of LED square panels that can be stacked and extended. The wall is four panels high and 10 panels across.

“We modified the base to move it around the talent,” says Otten.

VER also worked on an outdoor 8mm LED display for the Fox Sports booth on the east side of the stadium, using technology from Win Vision. And the Super Bowl trophy presentation will feature a “paper LED” technology that places 10mm LEDs within a rubberized piece that is flexible and magnetic. Viewers at home and in the stands will see it curved over the football that is on the trophy presentation stand.

Look for photos of the new booth and the team from VER on the SVG Website once the game kicks off.

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